Hidden Gems: Meet Matt Hoodie of Transform Scottsdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Hoodie.

Hi Matt, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
At 19 years old, I went to the doctor for unrelated reasons, and because of my drastic weight gain since my last visit, they decided to run some bloodwork. My A1C came back severely elevated, and I was diagnosed as Pre-Diabetic. The doctors told me that if I didn’t make a change immediately, I would be full-blown Diabetic by the time I was in my 20’s. At this time, I weighed in at just under 320LBS and honestly had very little idea about Diabetes or anything related to nutrition, but I knew that I wanted to learn. I decided to put my life-long plans of working in the culinary field on hold and deal with my health & my weight. As I began to dig deeper, I realized that I had struggled with Binge Eating Disorder almost my entire life and knew that if I was going to change my path, I needed to better understand not only Human Nutrition but how to overcome the challenges associated with eating disorders. I decided to enroll in Dietetics (Clinical Nutrition) degree program at ASU and started to learn as much as I could about Human Nutrition, Eating Disorders, and everything related to weight loss. During my time at ASU, I lost just under 130LBS and was able to gain an understanding of not only human nutrition, but the counseling techniques needed to help others take back that same control of their own lives.

As I was nearing the end of my degree, it became clear to me that many of my classmates were landing jobs in hospitals, working with populations where they were managing their issues. I knew this wasn’t for me, and I wanted to help people before they got to that point, when they were still able to turn their lives around. As my Dietetics degree was coming to a close, I had started exercising and began to understand how important the other half of the equation really was to maintaining a healthy life! I decided to stay at ASU and add another Bachelor’s in Exercise Science so that I would have the tools necessary to help others in all aspects of their transformation. After finishing my degree in Exercise Science, I decided to open my own gym, Transform Scottsdale, and specialize in whole-life transformations. At Transform Scottsdale, we work with all populations, helping them to gain a better understanding of nutrition and exercise as it directly relates to their body and their goals. We go beyond a traditional gym and help coach them through overcoming and retraining behavioral triggers that have put them in the position they are in.

Roughly two years after opening Transform Scottsdale, I decided to start Hoodie Nutrition, a supplement company with a mission to provide high quality, all-natural supplements at an affordable price. I was tired of the clients I was working with products with unproven and often unsafe ingredients and knew I wanted something better to be able to offer them! At this point, I have helped 24 individual clients lose over 100LBS, with three of those losing over 200LBS and I am proud to say that all have kept it off! I now provide online nutritional coaching to individuals around the world, and Transform Scottsdale has over 300 active members working to better their bodies, their minds, and their overall relationship with eating every day!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey has definitely had its ups and downs! As someone who has and will always struggle to maintain control over my eating, there have even been times that I myself have regained large amounts of weight during times of extreme stress and turmoil in my life. However, those tools I have learned over the years that I continue to implement with clients every day have allowed me to gain much more control than I ever thought I would have! I am proud to say for the last two full years, I have been in complete control of my eating habits and believe I am truly at a place where I can maintain this for the rest of my life.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Transform Scottsdale?
In opening and running Transform Scottsdale for the last 4+ years, I believe I have truly created a place where any individual can come to take control of their overall health. We go so far beyond the average gym and really dive into the reasons behind why we make the choices with food and exercise that we do. Now employing six coaches with over 300 total members, I have an immense amount of pride in the place I have created where anyone can come to get answers to the questions that they have been unable to find elsewhere.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
As an Arizona native, my favorite childhood memory is driving up to Sedona with my family to escape the heat and see the red rocks! I loved exploring around Sedona when I was a kid and the overall feel of natural beauty that Arizona provides for us!

Contact Info:

• Email: matt@matthoodiefitness.com
• Website: MattHoodieFitness.com
• Instagram: @matthoodie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthoodiefitness